


Dealing with Mountain Trolls

by Hexly



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Deviates From Canon, F/M, Giant/Tiny relationship, Mountain Trolls, Size Difference, Slow Burn, Trolls world tour au, mountain troll dickory, mountain troll hickory, near the beginning of the second movie, the slowest of burns because these two are hopeless
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24065191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hexly/pseuds/Hexly
Summary: All she wanted to do was unite the six troll tribes so they could all live in perfect harmony, but that dream soon came to an abrupt end when a storm sends Poppy’s balloon careening into the great unknown, eventually crashing into the lair of monsters she once thought only existed in her fathers fairytales.
Relationships: Branch & Queen Poppy (Trolls), Hickory/Queen Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 44





	1. Bedtime Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I haven’t written fanfiction in a long time (does it show?), and this just happens to be the first in years. Grant it I should be studying, but can anyone really blame me? That sequel was just so good, and the chemistry/friendship between Poppy and Hickory made the hopeless romantic in me leap up and scream. 
> 
> Thus I give you this au, so please take it, I beg you.

_Prologue_

“They came at me in droves. Teeth bared and claws swiping!”

Poppy held her covers close to her mouth, pretending to hide despite the smile that clearly spread across it.

Her eyes danced along the room, following the shadows that reached and grabbed for her father, who valiantly beat them back with his cane like the hero he truly was. His usual wide, frantic arcs made contact with a few items, usually her toys, that plopped defeatedly onto the ground before he’d turn his sights to the next foe, his voice booming, further fleshing out the story until the girl was practically out of her bed watching the whole spectacle unfold.

Reaching back, king Peppy twirled around to face a nearby coatrack - that loomed oh so menacingly in the corner - with her party hat plopped atop it.

Extending his cane, he struck a dramatic pose, pointing it fiercely at his imaginary rival, deciding then and there he would stand his ground to the bitter end.

“I managed to fend off all but one,” He continued, focus laser sharp, “the Bergen’s fearsome, gruesome, disgusting, slobbery good for nothing piece of-!”

“Daddy!”

Peppy cleared his throat, returning his attention to the coatrack that beckoned him with its nefarious figure.

“The ruthless king Gristle Senior!”

“What did you do?” Poppy gasped, hugging her cuddlebugdolly anxiously.

Smirking, he narrated his attack step by step, prowling around, then towards the imaginary Bergen. “First, I threw back my mighty sword. Then waited, waited, WAITED for the opportune moment to strike, until I charged forward and...!” springing forth, he gave a mighty howl.

His attack, however, ground to a complete stop when poppy sprung as well, throwing open her arms, shouting, “you gave him a great big hug!” 

She planted herself squarely onto his back, bearing down with such strength it could rival even the strongest Bergen’s hold.

Peppy gasped in shock, this spurting her onward in a fit of giggles, climbing higher to twin her arms around his neck. The king spun around and around until finally wailing his woes, flopping onto her bed and gasping dramatically, “I’ve been caught! Oh cruel world, what ever shall I do now? Tell my daughter I love her I... I...” falling completely onto his stomach he lolled out his tongue to finally die.

“Daddy?”

He remained motionless, not even breathing. At least he didn’t look like he was despite the shallow breaths here and there.

“Daddy? You’re not dead. The hug didn’t kill you. Did it?” She patted his head, squealing in delight when one eye popped open, looked around, then back to dead, mumbling that he had, indeed, perished.

“Remember me fondly, Poppy. I go... to the great beyond...”

“Nuh uh.” The girl flopped on top of him even more, pulling at his mustache to get him moving again. “Daddy, you’re not going to die. You’re just pretending.”

“You don’t know that.”

The two exchanged smiles, he finally rolling over to scoop her up, hugging the tiny trolling tight against his chest. “Alright alright, I’m not completely dead.”

“I knew it.”

Latching onto his front, the girl just slightly had to be reminded to let go, her father peeling back the covers to settle her down once more. “Now, I do believe it’s time you went to sleep for real this time. No more pretending to play dollies.”

“I’m not playing dollies, I’m making scrapbooks with them.” She demonstrated this by removing a new page from behind her pillow, ignoring his frown when she’d very much tattled on herself.

Still, she spun back around, beaming in pride at her handiwork. “See, this is me playing squish ball with Cooper and Smidge,” she drew out another page from behind that one, “and this is Suki and me trying to get Branch to dance with us when-“

“When you said you’d be helping build the pods?” Peppy rose a brow, fighting down the smile threatening to overtake him when his daughter tried to hide her behind her own creations.

“S-sorry bout that.” She peeked one eye around a happy sun cutout, relieved to find her father only half disappointed in her. At least that was better than fully disappointed.

He sighed, asking, “What am I going to do with you?”

“Maybe... tell me another story?”

She smoothed down the pages on her lap, leaning forward slightly when broaching the question. The hopeful lilt to her voice made the old king pause.

“Now Poppy, you promised me that if I told you ONE story, you’d go to sleep.”

She bunched her shoulders only slightly, nodding to that.

“And a princess...”

“Never breaks a promise.” Poppy finished half heartedly.

“That’s right. So that means...” removing the scrap papers from her lap, he went to tuck her back in. Sadly, he only managed one corner before she bolted back upright, speaking quickly with a flourish of arms, “I know I said that but please please please one more.”

“Poppy.”

“Just one. Please. The last one was so exciting I couldn’t help it.”

Folding her fingers together, the tiny girl held them out in prayer, batting her eyes and squishing her face into an adorable little pout - knowing good and well her father could never resist that pleading booboo lip.

Not wanting to lose face, Peppy stood towering over the child to further settle her back against the pillows, grumbling, “One more. Then you go to sleep or so help me, child, I’ll tie you to this bed.”

Squealing in excitement, she wasted no time in fluffing the pillows to get comfy. Her father paced then, a finger to his chin, wondering aloud which to tell her. There was, of course, the story of how he met her mother, but that one dragged on for far to long. Perhaps the tale of how he saved the trolls during their harrowing escape from the Bergen city? No no, to exciting, it would rile her up all over again and he already had a long day of construction ahead of him tomorrow. He didn’t want to be up all night chasing after a wayward daughter.

“What to tell, what to tell.” He pondered idly, looking at the pictures strung along Poppy’s walls.

It’s then his eyes alighted on one containing the frosty mountains in the north, their white slopes peeking high above the treetops.

She’d drawn that one way back when the tribe first settled in the area, exploring what they could and climbing far higher than was advised for children her age.

‘ _But when did she ever listen to reason?_ ’

A memory soon struck, one long buried but still tucked away for safe keeping. His smile broadened in that sad, forgotten way, spinning back around to his daughter, who eagerly waited.

“Have I ever told you the story about the mountain trolls?”

“The what?” Poppy tilted her head, scrunching her brows in thought.

 _‘That settles it then._ ’

Sweeping his arms out, Peppy gestured towards the picture, repeating, “The mountain trolls that live, well, in the mountains.”

She looked between her father and the drawing, eyes growing wide in wonder. “Why do they live there?”

“Ah, now that is a question.” He began, shuffling back towards her.

“This story was told to me by my grandmother, who was told it by her grandmother before her, that long ago, back before the Bergen’s first emerged into the forest, the trolls lived in perfect harmony. Singing, laughing, enjoying life and all the surprises that came with it. But when the Bergen’s finally appeared,”

“They started eating trolls.” Poppy chimed, covering her mouth when her father nodded.

“Indeed they did, young Poppy. Indeed they did. But before they could come in droves, a few had already begun to collect us. To hunt us down. One by one to take home for their feasts. We trolls were not so easily caught, but when we were, there was little hope of rescue. The joy soon left us, trolls began to turn on each other. Some of them losing their color completely to be as grey as they felt,”

“Like Branch?” She asked, clutching her blanket tighter.

Peppy nodded again, “Like Branch. But others... others turned into something else entirely.”

Leaning forward, Poppy found her fathers dramatic pause far to enticing to wait out.

In a tiny, almost eager whisper, she asked, “Like what?”

Peppy curled his fingers inward, flashing his teeth to snarl, “GIANTS!”

She ducked beneath her covers, slightly scared from the roar in her fathers voice. Once the echo settled, her little face poked back out, a crooked, toothy grin spread along her face. “Bigger than the Bergen’s?”

“Much bigger.” Peppy continued, standing on his tippy toes and stretching his arms high above his head for further emphasis, “Massive monsters that stomped and snarled and reigned unspeakable terror upon the land!”

“How?”

“What do you mean ‘how’? By reigning it down like this and this.”

The little girl watched her father stomp about the room, making all sorts of horrendous howling sounds as he did so.

“But... but why would they rain terror on anyone? Why not rain flowers, or gum drops?”

“That’s not what I meant-“

“And how did they get so big? Is it like when Legsly gets taller? Can I do that, too?”

Poppy attempted to puff out her cheeks to see if it would work, receiving nothing more than a chuckle, her father quickly realizing his flare to tell ghost stories wasn’t quite as polished as his ability to wax epics regarding himself.

Shaking his head, Peppy gave a quick pat on her head, returning the tiny trolling to her normal, adorable self.

“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that, cupcake.”

“Oh.”

“And they didn’t just grow because they felt like it. They became monsters. All the hatred and fear changed them irreversibly. Instead of singing, they used their voices to scream at each other. Instead of sharing, they consumed more and more until greed fully overtook their hearts, twisting them into the horrible creatures so vile, they were chased far into the mountains, where some say they still reside, picking off those unfortunate enough to cross their paths.”

She turned to look at the drawing of the mountains again, an audible, “Wow,” escaping her lips.

Seeing that he’d done his part, Peppy straightened just enough to re-tuck her in. “Now, I think it’s time you went to sleep. For real this time.”

She agreed, clinging tight to her cuddlebug dolly just to be safe.

Just as Peppy blew out the light, a tiny peep came from the nest of blankets. The noise stopped him for only a moment, a moment she used to ask, almost quietly, “Daddy? Do you think the mountain trolls are still up there?”

Peppy hesitated, turning the question over multiple times. The stories his grandmother told were not ones to be taken lightly, no matter how far fetched they may appear at times. But when he looked back at his daughter, and saw the concern etching deep into her inquisitive eyes, he thought better of voicing that opinion.

Instead he pulled his lips into their usual merry expression, tapping the tiny glowing mushroom so she wouldn’t be swallowed up in complete darkness. “It’s hard to say, cupcake.”

“Will they ever come back?” She ducked down deeper, looking about in every corner in case a monster might be lurking there undetected.

Peppy chuckled to himself, slowly shutting the pod door as he spoke, “No, Poppy, they have no reason too. And let’s hope it stays that way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Peppy, if only you knew.
> 
> And that, folks, concludes the prologue. Soon we’ll be getting into the nitty gritty part of the story, which I hope you all enjoy. If so, leave a comment or kudos to feed the muse, it’s a ravenous creature after all.
> 
> I’ll also see if I can update every Thursday, but I can’t promise anything given the state the worlds in at the moment. Still, I’ll try my darndest to stay on the ball for y’all.


	2. Rude Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So something I think I should say before we get started with this chapter is a huge heaping apology to any Biggie (and Mr. Dinkles) fans. Despite this fic being a divergence from the second movie, I’d wanted it to follow at least some of the plot and I’ve already goofed that up. 
> 
> I legit forgot he was in the balloon. I know, I know, I’m a dinkus. My only excuse is it’s been two months since I’ve seen the movie and so I’m just going to say Biggie is having a blast in troll village away from any danger. 
> 
> I’ll probably introduce him much later on in the story, but again, very sorry if folks were wanting to see him. But without further ado, here’s chapter 2.

20 _years later_

Pain. That’s all she felt though no place more pronounced than the throb pounding in her skull. It grew more and more pronounced the longer she pushed the fogginess from her mind, slowly pulling her upper body up and groaning loudly with every movement that followed shortly after.

There wasn’t a single part of her that didn’t scream to curl back up and lay down. Maybe then she could escape the ache that splintered through her viciously bones. It certainly wouldn’t hurt.

Instead she grit her teeth, hard, pushing through until sitting completely upright.

Slowly she rubbed the grit from her eyes, flinching when flashes of the storm shoved themselves to the forefront of her mind whenever she tried to recall the last few hours.

Everything trickled back a drop at a time, from the balloon ride that lifted them well above the forest to charting their course for the classical trolls village, the hours began to blur together until... until the storm hit.

There’d been shouting, both hers and Branch’s as they clung to what ever they could. The wind had whipped violently, tossing them around in a wild frenzy that neither knew which way lead up or down.

She’d cried at one point, apologies lost to the crack and roar encasing them. She couldn’t even discern where Branch was in all the chaos, her eyes to flooded with rain and tears and what ever else came flying at her while the balloon tumbled over and over, snapping and grinding and wrapping around their bodies.

Branch had called out to her, his arm caught in a rope and flung in such a way it might as well pop off from the force. It was only when she’d wrapped her hair around his torso that she’d been able to climb towards him at all. The strength in doing so wavered, the constant fight between her and the elements bearing down until she nearly lost the battle to reach him in time. His cries were the only thing that pushed her onward as he struggled to break free from the bindings and she forced her arms to close around him in what might be their final embrace.

The rope eventually gave out, that much she remembered, having twisted over and over on itself so tight the fibers broke apart and the two found themselves hurtling at great speed downward. Poppy clung tighter still, arms wrapped against his chest while they twirled in the air to meet their inevitable demise.

She didn’t know what to do, or how to fix this, yelling her apologies into his ear. Whether he heard them or not she didn’t know, only that he locked his limbs around her back and, what ever happened to them next, they’d at least meet it head on together.

The rest of her memories faded after that point, as if the storm itself had swallowed them up and left her with nothing save the pieces to sort through later. And it would definitely have to be much later given she scarcely knew where she was or how in the world she survived such a calamity.

’ _Might as well answer one of those questions_.’

Peeling her eyes open, Poppy hissed at the sudden explosion before her. Light, though trickling down from a shady source, burst forth with an alarming strength, increasing the headache still residing inside her skull by at least tenfold. It took several more blinks before she could fully open her eyes completely, looking around once, then twice in utter confusion.

The plants she found herself among were not ones she recognized. Their stems grew thick and towered treelike overhead while their tops tapered to a bundle at the end, unopened buds swaying delicately in the breeze. A shiver ran down her spine, though Poppy didn’t know if that pertained to the temperature itself or the shock that gradually expanded inside her. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, she found her feet, using her hands to help guide her up a trunk - where she opted to lean heavily in order to steady herself. She hissed here and there, the pain in her joints threatening to give out and send her sprawling right back into the dirt if she so much as moved in an odd way.

This was not turning out to be the grand adventure she’d planned, not by a long shot.

Before, she’d only wanted to unite the troll tribes to prove that she could make sound decisions, to be able to rule effectively if given the opportunity (she’d done just fine with the whole Bergen fiasc after all). Now that she stood amidst the wreckage, her body bruised and battered beyond belief, she wasn’t so sure how to go on from here. Perhaps leaving via balloon was a bit hasty. Perhaps she should’ve listened to Branch about the dangers that lurked beyond their borders, or that bunkering down due to an approaching storm sounded reasonable enough.

 _‘But wheres the fun in that?_ ’ She’d said, confident they could weather anything so long as they kept steady.

How wrong she’d been.

Branch... sweet and overly cautious Branch, had done his best to deter that order, pointing out the foolhardiness of one going up against the elements. Did she bother listening to that, to logic?

Bowing her head, shame washed over her like an ocean swallowing up a ship. She now knew the folly in that thinking, eventually drawing in a deep, steadying breath to tamper down the growing guilt.

‘You should’ve listened to him.’ She lamented, knowing full well that all this could’ve been avoided had she done so. ‘ _You didn’t even try_.’

That thought alone continued to plague her even after she shoved off from her perch, shaking her head to dispel it and spinning in a half circle to see what remained of the balloon; grimacing at the shattered pieces lining the forest floor.

Her heart sank to look at it, knowing the once beautiful labor of love Branch poured his entire being into now sat in a graveyard made by its own twisted parts and shattered trunks. Were he standing next to her now, the sight alone would surely kill him.

‘ _Wait... Branch!_ ’

Did he survive the crash too or was he lost somewhere far beyond her reach or... or dead?

The sudden realization gripped her heart so tightly she nearly collapsed into a sob.

Spurning herself forward, Poppy flew over the debris in great leaps and bounds, calling his name out into the wide blue yonder in a sad, desperate hope he’d answer.

She rounded the area, going from pile to pile praying that he might be there, already up and fashioning a means to get back to their adventure - or at the very least home - but the more she searched, the more that tiny flickering fear grew within her belly, burning through her veins until she nearly lost all reason and resorted to screaming hysterically.

A moan answered.

Dabbing at her eyes, the pink troll fell upon the sound like a dart, stopping only when movement from beneath a shattered food crate caught her eye. And there, laying sprawled face down in the muck was none other than the survivalist himself, looking worse for wear but all the same alive.

Crying in both joy and concern, Poppy made haste to dig him out, whispering words such as “hang in there” and “stay with me”, or just about any variation between the two in order to keep her focused and him still breathing.

Eventually she managed to hook her arms beneath him, dragging her friend free and startling back when he lurched up to scream.

“Gah! My arm!” He huddled over it protectively, practically gnashing his teeth in pain.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry.” Poppy whimpered, kneeling beside him.

Reaching out, she stopped short when he flinched away, her heart aching to be looked at that way. As if she meant to sink her claws into him and flay the flesh from his bones. “Here now,” She cooed, motioning gently, “let me take a look at it.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s not... not so bad.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

God she hated this, hated being the cause for his suffering in any way, shape or form. He’d done nothing short but follow her order, regardless on how much he knew without a shadow of a doubt how dangerous it was. Now here he sat, curled up in agony, those large, blue eyes blinking rapidly to stave off the tears threatening to spill.

She reached once again, fingers a breath away from making contact, gnawing on her lip when Branch lurched back another inch. She didn’t push any more than he’d allow, concern creasing her brows, melting his resistance easily enough when he finally peered into her eyes.

He sighed then, holding out the arm and grimacing when her fingers skimmed along the bruising surface. “Can you move your fingers?

“A little.” He flexed them to demonstrate, stopping only when it became to much. “It might be fractured. I’m not sure but it hurts like you wouldn’t believe.

She believed him given how angry the injury looked.

Large black patches spread the length from wrist to elbow, accompanied by various scraps that she, too, sported along her body. Thankfully her injuries were no where near as brutal as what he’d obviously endured, but it certainly didn’t make kneeling in the dirt feel any better, not her headache that refused to subside just yet.

Glancing once more at his face, she stood then to snatch up a nearby length of rope, returning only when she’d started to crochet it together with another.

“What are you doing?”

“Making you a sling. I cant have my bestest best friend forever have his arm fall off.”

He grimaced through that joke like a champ, grinding his teeth even more when she started to twine it over and under his shoulder.

“Maybe next time you decide to run off in the middle of the night, you don’t do it when there’s a thunder storm coming, hmm. I don’t think I can survive much more.”

“I make no promises.” She teased, welcoming his sarcasm over the pain laced version of himself any day.

Still, if it weren’t for her insistence, her constant pushing and prodding and pleading for him to join her and throw all caution to the wind, he wouldn’t be laid up with a busted arm, nor would they be lost deep within unknown territory.

Finishing up the last few adjustments, Poppy slowly let slipthe smile she held.

“I’m sorry about this. About... everything.” She whispered, offering to help him stand and catching him when he teetered sideways.

Branch brushed the apology aside, as per usual, knowing that in his heart of hearts he couldn’t, and wouldn’t, stay mad at her. After all, it’s not like he didn’t know what he was signing up for when he hopped in beside her. It wouldn’t be a bonafide Poppy Adventure if near death experiences didn’t lurk around every corner.

“Don’t worry about it, things could’ve been worse.”

“Yeah, I guess so. We could’ve died.”

“Now there’s something I don’t want to think about ever again. Still, the best we can do now is figure out where we are, salvage what we can, and get the heck out of here.” A quick look around showed little more than what she’d concluded earlier, prompting a, “where ever here is.”

“I think it’s a forest of some sort. I haven’t had the chance to look around yet. I was more concerned with finding you.”

Bless her heart.

They spun to look in every direction, none more diligently than Branch, finding no known landmarks or signs of life besides the plants to guide them in any given direction. Just tree after tree set about in straight lines, the only difference being the bald patch their balloon made from the crash.

“Do you think we’re close to troll village?” She finally asked, bitting her lip when he shook his head.

“No. The wind was too fast, too fierce. We’re more than likely miles away, maybe even on the other side of the mountain.”

That left getting help out of the question. But if that were the case, that they’d somehow crashed in another forest beyond their own and, dare she even think it, the mountain range itself, that also meant they were one step closer to finding the classical trolls village.

Digging through her hair, Poppy fished out the map to scan over the pictures, hoping to see if anything stood out from the drawing. Sadly, after a quick back and forth from paper to ground, there didn’t seem to be any symbols for this forest in particular, though maybe if she found higher ground she could better make out their location. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

“I’m going to see if the spare equipment survived.” Branch’s voice drifted from behind, bringing Poppy’s thoughts to a halt, “If we’re lucky, the tool kit is intact somewhere and I’ll be able to get us airborne by tomorrow.”

“Oh my god, really? Do you need help with anything? I can definitely help if you need it. Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll hop on it to-”

“Poppy? Poppy focus.”

She paused just long enough for him to blink, then proceeded to open her mouth again until he spoke. “I wouldn’t mind, but we have to find the right parts. If not, we’ll have to improvise and that might take a while to fix since I’m... you know.” He held up his arm to emphasize this. “Once the balloons sewn up, alls we’ll need to do is rebuild the burner and reattach the basket, or something to carry us at least.”

She clicked her heels together and saluted, offering up an energetic, “aye aye captain, I’ll get right in it.” before scurrying a few steps ahead, only to turn back and ask, “Er, what does the tool kit look like again?”

Branch sighed.

Holding up a hand, he demonstrated the size, followed by a weary, “about yay tall, blue, has rainbow stickers you put on it three months ago and my name bedazzled on the side.”

Nodding to each description, Poppy dashed off again, further calling, “Yes, got it. Aye aye. On it.”

She wasted no time in sweeping her sights between the scattered debris and the trees surrounding them. On first glance, there didn’t seem to be much save for a few busted up parts scattered about the crash sight, barrels cracked or torn athunder and some fabric dangling from the toppled trunks they’d managed to demolish during their decent. Her head turned this way and that, trying to locate the one thing Branch had tasked her to find.

Her eyes continued to glide over the ever stretching green, noting how there didn’t seem to be anything blue that stood out amongst the stalks.

Realizing that remaining on ground level did her no favors, Poppy hopped up multiple bent over trunks, able to see a little more the further up she traveled until she finally found herself standing on the tallest in the bunch. It gave her just enough room to stand on tippy toes and see far beyond what the plants originally allowed. Further still to the world stretching in all directions, expanding her understanding on where, exactly, they stood.

The map crinkled in her hands, Poppy turning in place, spotting a much larger, more traditional looking willow not to far from them. It stood upright against an immense rock formation, that she soon realized encased their entire forest. Or... looking down, she wondered if perhaps these weren’t trees at all.

If the willow indicated anything, these were, perhaps, nothing more than very large flowers. It certainly would explain the buds sprouting at the tops and the lack of branches on the ground.

“Interesting.” She mumbled, returning the map to her hair.

Shimmying back down, Poppy turned towards her friend, calling over her shoulder what she’d found, or hadn’t found depending on how one looked at it, only to pause when something else caught her eye entirely.

Amongst the stocks sat an unassuming beige leaf speckled tarp pitched haphazardly in place. Why this sat there, abandoned in such a precarious position, she didn’t know.

Was it a tent? Did someone leave it here, camping perhaps?

If that were the case, chances stood they’d be willing to help two wayward adventures on their journey (or at the very least have medical supplies). After all, who didn’t bring a medkit when out in the wilderness?

Racing towards it, Poppy signaled for Branch’s attention, not even pausing to see if he received the message or not.

At first the blue troll only rolled his eyes, paying her antics little mind. At least... not until she disappeared into the brush, blind panic seizing him right then and there that she could get lost or hurt or worse.

Poppy made it just to the tents entrance when Branch skidded beside her, surprised, confused and most especially cautious.

“Is anyone home?”

“Poppy! What are you doing?” He whisper/yelled, looking the lumpy tarp up and down suspiciously.

“I’m trying to see if there’s someone inside.”

“We don’t even know what this is.”

“But we’ll never find out if we stay out here.” She sing songed.

“We could stay alive if we mind our own business.” He sang right back, staying her hand from opening the flap.

Poppy slanted an unamused look in his direction, muttering, “Honestly, what if they could help? With that?”

She gestured to the makeshift sling, making the survivalist pause, then squirm.

“Well?”

Branch turned his face away for a split second, deepening his scowl, “I don’t trust it.”

“You barely trust your own shadow.”

“And for good reason! It follows you around but for what purpose, Poppy? What. Purpose?”

Honestly, she refused to have this conversation again, especially when they had more important matters to attend to, like not feeding his delusions. “I’m going inside.”

Branch hardly had a chance to object. In a matter of seconds Poppy had pulled herself free and made to step forth into the darkness. The flap parted just enough for her to slip through, but her figure was not the cause for the sudden gasp to leave his lips. Oh no, certainly not.

For in that single flash from the sun, an object flickered into view. And, on closer inspection, gave off a none to welcoming silhouette.

Primal fear jolted through him in an instant, his legs springing forward until they both crashed into a tangled heap on the ground. Poppy shoved angrily against his shoulder, though lost most of her strength when he hissed and instead grunted, “What in the world, Branch? You could’ve... could’ve...”

Her words died on her lips when a resounding SWIP CLANG rang through the air. The trolls swiveled their heads towards the sound, gawking in both bewilderment, shock and abject fear.

The tent... that was no longer a tent (if it ever truly was one to begin with)... sat in absolute tatters, locked tight inside the jaws of a very big, very deadly looking contraption that wouldn’t have left them in one piece had they stood in the middle.

That could’ve been them. They could’ve been... been...

“We should go.” Branch choked out, slow and fearful while looking around for further dangers, “Now.”

For once Poppy didn’t argue, standing on wobbly legs and caring little for the added scraps on her palms. She instead found herself clinging tight to the blue troll, equally scanning the stocks for more of its ilk and jumping when the distant sounds whipped against the wind.

Gulping, she pressed herself even closer to her companion, asking quietly, “W-why would someone leave that there? It’s not... not very friendly to do that.”

“I don’t think they intend to have company if they can help it. So why don’t we do them a favor and leave.”

Nodding, the two trudged their way back towards the crash site, various thoughts spinning in their minds.

For Branch the solution was simple. Regroup, repair, retreat. The three R’s to keep oneself alive long enough to formulate a new plan. For Poppy though, she couldn’t for the life of her fathom why someone would go to such lengths to buildsomething like that. Branch’s own designs back home were dangerous, sure, but that thing... that death trap... That would most assuredly kill someone were they not vigilant enough to know what they were stepping into. And boy oh boy, did she wonder what they’d just stepped into.

Poppy quickly found herself shaken from her musings, her nose bumping against Branch’s back at his abrupt stop. She nearly asked why in the world he’d done so, or at the very least if there were more traps they’d yet to spot close by. Those questions dangled on the tip of her tongue for only a moment before she squashed them down completely. That look he gave, the stiffness in his body, told her all she needed to know regarding the situation. Something was out there. Something was watching and he knew it.

Poppy peeked from around his shoulder, scanning the area just as thoroughly as her friend yet nothing truly stood out amongst the scenery.

Nothing... except the rustling from behind the balloon.

Had the trap set off an alarm? We’re the perpetrators behind it there, armed to the teeth to deal with any threat that might have survived. All these things lingered unspoken in the air, and Poppy just barely held the courage to ask them.

Swallowing thickly, she parted her lips to force out an unsteady, “H-hello?”

Branch hissed at her attempts to sound friendly, shaking his head vigorously to keep her from trying again.

She did regardless, ignoring the fact he grabbed for a sharpened stake laying on the ground, focusing instead on the noise that followed soon after.

The scuffling grew in volume, a hiss, then a very distinctive crunching that could be lumber, could be bones, neither troll felt the need to quench their curiosity to find out.

Branch debated on what to do next, his instincts encouraging him to run while what ever lay beyond sight was preoccupied. The other part, however, preferred defending what remained of their transportation. There weren’t exactly many options remaining when it came to travel, and the balloon, though heavily damaged, at least stood a better chance getting them home than flat out walking. Especially with something unknown lurking abouts, most likely not alone either.

Spotting a loose rock by his feet, Branch figured he could at least try to scare the creature away. What other choice did he have?

Rearing back, he kicked it well over the wreckage. The two waited with baited breath, jumping when it made contact with something... and that something did not seem happy either.

The rustling grew more pronounced, the sound of wood snapping forced them to slowly back away, ill prepared for what ever squatted on the other side.

Poppy’s nails practically tore through his vest, the sudden urge to draw her hair over them for camouflage growing for each thump and crack until suddenly the noise stopped entirely.

Did the thing flee into the stocks on the other side? She hadn’t seen any movement indicating this, though the hope that it retreated did fill her with some relief.

When nothing further happened, the two collectively exhaled.

Branch lowered the stake, sporting a half smile in relief. “I guess we scared it-“

HSSSSSRAAAAAGGH


	3. Run for Cover

Shooting over the top, a gapping maw stretched wide and vicious, flashing rows of needlelike teeth that were not made for welcoming. They were quite the opposite, made for catching, for tearing, and nothing was more obvious than that when its roar shook them to their very core, bringing those disgusting teeth that much closer.

Neither spared the energy to scream or even think beyond the sudden urge to run. And run they most certainly did, their feet hardly touching the ground to escape.

It didn’t take long before the ground pulsed behind them, every step the enormous lizard took rocking the plants around it and the tasty morsels trying to flee.

Poppy spared only a glance to see it gaining and gaining fast for the short distance it covered. It seemed to be nothing more than an engorged shrieking mouth on legs (and those legs were most definitely made for the chase now that she thought about it).

Plowing around the many stocks - that seemed nothing more than a green blur passing around the running trolls - the lizard let forth another roar, its breath misting over their legs.

Poppy only just managed to skid to the side at the last possible second, letting the beasty slam head first into a stock, though that hardly stopped it for long. The creature simply shook off the blow, spinning back towards her to scream and realign its sights squarely onto her.

Branch instantly felt his friends absence beside him, spinning in time to watch the incident unfold, then the aftermath that followed. Without further thought he redirected himself to join the chase, sadly aware his legs were nowhere near as fast as those he plodded behind. Instead he focused his attention onto a nearby stock, shooting his hair towards an upper section, then jerking it back the farthest his weakened body could manage.

Bracing himself, the plant soon snapped forward once he kicked off, catapulting the blue troll up and onto the creatures back. He wasted no timelassoing his hair around its snout, digging his fingers into its scaly back in order to stay anchored in place.

Poppy spun to find her friend clinging for dear life onto the lizard desperately, the writhing mass trying in vain to buck him off but discovering the task harder than either anticipated.

“Branch! Hold on I’ll find a way to help just give me a minute!”

“No no, take your time.” He quipped, cursing repeatedly when his injured arm jostled against the thrashing gray beasts skull

He could only do so much clinging before his strength began to falter, the ferocity in which the lizard twisted and spun, arching its back and curling forwards, then bloated out twice its girth was enough to slacken Branch’s grip only for second. A second that sent the troll sailing in an arch, limbs pinwheeling madly in the air, only to be pulled right back down by his own hair (that thankfully remained wrapped around its mouth) and helplessly land on its nose.

It paused momentarily to glare, those putrid yellow eyes slitting dangerously on the little morsel that refused to die. Branch could only stare back, grunting in pain and disoriented beyond belief, though sobering rather quickly when he realized what had happened. He tightened the lasso and his grip upon its scales, gasping in mounting trepidation when the lizard flexed it’s jaw muscles. The bindings locking it in place slowly began to give, break and shatter the wider the beasty’s mouth opened.

Branch nearly screamed in frustration, though whimpered instead given the situation. He tried one last attempt to overpower it, his hair firming its hold around its snout, straining to its very limit only to give out with a resounding snap.

Poppy materialized moments later, bellowing from behind, “CATCH!”

The blue troll didn’t hesitate to turn, managing to snatch on reflex the stake he’d been holding minutes prior. In one swift motion he plunged it into the lizards eye, stunning it long enough he could release his hair and make a speedy retreat without being devoured.

Clasping his hand around her own, the two hurdled themselves farther from the creatures wrath. Any thought besides putting distance between them and that thing spilled to the back of their minds, the simple drive to find shelter overpowering any other instinct. They didn’t stop until the forests edge lingered a few yards ahead, the large rock formation from before just barely visible through the flower buds.

Poppy’s adrenaline no longer buzzed between her ears, everything hurting and muddled, her breaths coming out in puffs. She pulled Branch to a stop, having to double over when a side stitch struck and struck hard.

“... Wait...”

“We cant. We have... have to find shelter...”

She waved that aside, hands on her knees to gulp down mouthfuls of air. “Just a second, or I’m going to puke, I swear.”

Branch glanced over their shoulder, unable to spot the great big beasty, though it’s howls we’re still audible and not nearly as far as he would prefer them to be. He then spun towards the rocks. Judging from their size they weren’t to far. If he could just find a cave, a crawl space, anything sturdy to guard them on all three sides, he knew they could recoup to their hearts content. Or at the very least enough to formulate a new plan. One that scrapped the balloon all together since he didn’t feel the walk back would warrant them anything but a quick and painful death.

Grabbing for her shoulder, he brought her back to a stand, pinching his brows into their usual scowl. “Not until we make it to the rocks. We’ll be safe there, protected. I’ll make sure of that.”

He meant it, that much she could tell, could hear in the surety of his voice. He meant every word... and she believed him.

Branch knew how to read situations, he knew the odds, he’d trained himself to survive any danger, big or small. Most would call him a pessimist for it, but Poppy didn’t. Because she knew better.

Branch was a realist, and if he said they’d be safe in the rocks, that he’d make it safe in the rocks. then it would be so.

Now if only the lizard got that memo.

The thrashing grew in volume behind them, its yowling mouth flapping in tandem with its approach. Apparently it didn’t know when to give up, it’s appetitetoo great to shy away from those that had partially blinded it.

Snatching up her hand again, the two charged steadily through the thrush, Branch swatting the leaves aside while she turned every so often to see the big gray bulk closing the distance between them. A yelp sprung from her throat, though not from the predators approach. Her feet parted from the ground as she found herself lifted and tossed haphazardly into an overgrown bush, tumbling only slightly until he righted her balance.

The blue troll wasted no time wedging himself between her and the hulking shadow, his body trembling like the leaves fluttering against the creatures breath.

“Do you have a plan B?” She choked out, the two walking backwards to keep a healthy distance between them and the threat, their eyes never leaving the snout poking against the ground, the rocks, inching closer to huff in their scent and know they were there, cornered.

Branch shook his head, the sweat pouring while continuing to fall back... back... back... _CRUNCH_.

A twig snapped, broken under Poppy’s foot and that sound, that little, insignificant sound, was all it took to send the beasty howling after them. It slammed its body fully through, sinking its claws deep into the soil to stretch and writhe, slowed only by the numerous limbs twining around one another to block its path.

That wouldn’t stop it for long, this much the trolls knew staring in horror as it pressed and pressed and PRESSED harder to reach, to snap, maw open to consume.

Branch spun to look at the bushes trunk, making up his mind to climb and climb quickly.

Poppy followed soon after, hopping in leaps and bounds and all sorts of acrobatics to outmaneuver the lizard down below. Higher and higher they raced for some unknown end, listening for the creatures ascent. It didn’t stop, not that they expected it to given how far and how fierce it had run to catch them. Poppy looked down only once to find it maneuvering the same path as they took, though with much greater difficulty; the fear cleaving straight through her to think this thing might never give up no matter how far they fled.

It would keep coming back, over and over until it had them, to injured to fight or to weak to care.

“It’s right behind us.” She called, urging Branch to hurry if he meant to keep himself alive.

They stood on the topmost limb, exhaustion sinking deep into their bones and every ache they gained from the storm came back in full force. The blue troll glanced over the side, then up, finally landing on Poppy and looking into her eyes with such an intensity she nearly forgot their problem scaling the branches below.

A hesitancy fell over him, something painful twisting along his face, shadowing his features so completely she wondered if it was the fear of death sinking into his thoughts or something else. Something greater.

A hand lifted, slowly resting against her cheek in such tenderness Poppy swallowed the gasp bubbling in her throat.

He traced a thumb along her freckles, once, twice, whispering, “I want you to do something for me.”

“N-now? Branch, we don’t have time to-“

“I want you to keep running and what ever you do, DON’T look back.”

“Wha... what are you talking about?”

He didn’t answer right away. That look alone told her he wouldn’t and she honestly didn’t want to fathom what half-baked plan rattled in his head. For as smart as Branch was, for all the ingenious ideas he concocted on a daily basis, there were times she knew, just KNEW, there were bad ones.

And this was most definitely one of them.

Locking her fingers around his wrist, she growled, “Don't you dare think about leaving me.”

“We’ll split up. It can’t follow us both and I’m sure I can out run it if it goes after me.”

He was such a terrible liar.

“We’ve been trying to out run it already and it’s not stopping. It won’t stop until it catches...”

No, she definitely didn’t want to know the extent of his plan. Not now, not ever.

“It’ll be alright.”

“Don’t tell me that!”

“Poppy, listen-“

“No, you listen! We’re not splitting up and that’s final!”

“We don’t have a choice!” He bellowed.

“There’s always a choice and I’m not letting you make this one!” Her shout came simultaneously as the lizards, it’s mouth stretched wide and teeth glistening not two yards from their trembling bodies.

Dashing further across the branch they stood on, Poppy made sure to keep a tight grip on her friend in case he got any more foolhardy ideas to ditch her for... for his stupidness! She wouldn’t allow it, not on her watch.

They either lived together, which she preferred immensely, or they died together... which she didn’t like as much.

The bush shook with the constant thrashing from the three, the lizard squishing its fat body along to the edge that they had no choice but to race towards. Everything grew more narrow, more unsteady until the trolls had no choice but to walk the length like a tightrope. If not for the leaves sticking out, they knew they’d have surely fallen by now, Poppy using one hand to balance while the other latched onto Branch like her life depended on it. Or more importantly, his life.

He tried one last, feeble attempt to rip away, urging her to understand. “I’m slowing you down. I can’t fight back like this. You HAVE to let me do this.”

“No I don’t, I’m not letting you kill yourself, got it. No troll left behind!”

“Poppy I can’t... I-I can’t...!”

‘ _I can’t lose you_.’ He wanted to cry, but the words stuck together and refused to take shape. She didn’t have to hear it to know, this much he realized when she turned tolook over her shoulder, understanding what was and wasn’t spoken between them.

“No ones dying today, got it?”

He swallowed thickly, the emotions churning so violently inside his belly he could do nothing but nod, following her step for step through the leaves until they finally toed the edge.

There was nowhere left to run. Any chance to keep climbing only allowed them to go so far before reaching the very top, and those limbs looked even less sturdy than the one they currently teetered on. Branch kept his focus entirely on the lizard, his hair, though sheared and looking less formidable from the last encounter, wavered at the ready to make his last stand.

Poppy searched around for anything that might be used as a saving grace, her eyes skimming, brain mapping out the leaves, the rocks, the window.

‘ _Wait... a window? Here_?’

Beyond the bush, nestled against it sat a very large, unassuming window built straight through the rock formation, opened just a crack but enough she had no doubt they could crawl through given the right motivation.

And this certainly did count as that.

Without further thought, she locked her arms around Branch’s waist, shot her hair towards the sill and said, under no uncertain terms, to let go as she launched them to the ledge.

Branch’s scream tore through the air, their landing less graceful than she would’ve liked and made more prominent when he clutched at his arm. He stopped cursing only when she snatched him up and half drug the blue troll towards the window, not bothering to explain, especially when his face went slack, trying to piece together what he stood before and why it even existed to begin with. Instead she ushered him to the opening, briefly looking through to the other side and, though neither had the luxury to decide the safety just yet, knew without a shadow of a doubt it couldn’t be any worse than what currently waited for them out here.

“In you go.” She said, shoving her friend through not unkindly. He didn’t protest beyond the normal grunts and shimmied for his life, then reached out to help pull her through as well.

Their hands clasped and with a mighty jerk she slid through just in the nick of time. Her legs barely cleared to the other side before the lizard slammed its full weight against the glass, it’s massive body sending the planes to shutter but thankfully hold strong. This didn’t stop its attempts to push through, however, the claws digging and scratching feverishly into the wooden frame, repeatedly stabbing its snout under the tiny space they’d escaped and snarling when it failed to shove its plump body to the other side.

They both stared at it for a solid minute, backing away and praying to anyone who’d listen that it not possess the strength to break through.

After a minute more it gave one final hiss, defeated for now, though they didn’t doubt it would still be out there waiting. 

Poppy took this moment to finally let out the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding, falling against a solid object, then slowly sliding to the floor with a groan; her bones nothing more than jelly at this point.

“This is why I like staying in my bunker.” Branch finally piped up, looking equally worse for wear, “Nothing tries to kill me in there.”

“You mean besides your malfunctioning traps.” She jibbed playfully, halting her laughter when that side stitch reared it’s ugly head once more.

Grabbing hold of it, she bent over in an achy, groaning puddle, watching Branch debate on joining her or not. The energy wasn’t much there to keep him standing for long, his determination, however, also refused to let him rest before securing the area.

‘ _Typical Branch_.’

He lifted his head to survey their new surroundings, the exhaustion in his eyes fizzling away when they spread along the great expanse. His mouth dangled open, whether in shock or fear she didn’t know, walking a few steps behind the thing she currently sat against and disappearing from view.

“Poppy... we might not want to stay here.”

Quirking a brow, she fought her bodies urging to stay immobile and brought her legs beneath her, wobbling at first but finally finding enough strength and bearings to make her way around the large object.

It didn’t take long for her expression to match her friends, jaw flapping open in shock.

The place they now resided in shouldn’t have come as a surprise given the massive size the window stood at. No, it was the simple fact that what they were looking at, what boxed them in on all four sides, was a room. A very large one at that, perhaps bigger than king Gristle jr’s if they were to compare the two.

Poppy stepped fully around the thing she’d been seated against, now clearly able to make out the figurine for what it truly was. It stood twice her size, solidly built from painted wood to depict a bird sprawled out on its nest.

She sat a hand against it, wonder etched upon her face while each troll lost themselves to their own astonishment. Honestly, Poppy didn’t know what to say, or even how to say it even if she did. Tearing her gaze from the bird, she soon followed in Branch’s steps to investigate the room, marveling at the organized mess laid before them.

Multiple knick knacks sat upon shelves and book cases, each more intricately detailed than the last. Large pieces of furniture spread out in an orderly fashion along the living space, situated around a fireplace that housed even more fragile looking decorations on its mantle. Dirty cups and plates sat forgotten on the coffee table, surrounded by tools much larger than any she’d ever seen in her life. Though why those would be strewn about, Poppy had no idea.

She came fully around the bird figure to follow along the wooden ground, peeking over the edge once she’d reached it to realize they stood on a side desk nestled snuggly against the window.

“We’re in a house.”

“I figured that.” Branch scoffed, watching the pendulums on multiple clocks sway back and forth, his attention following the rows until he found himself facing a kitchen.

A hand quickly shot up to his throat, gulping anxiously to think what might happen should the owners discover their presence.

“Do you think a Bergen lives here?”

“Honestly, I don’t want to find out.”

She looked up at him in question.

“If there is one, whose to say they’re apart of Gristle’s kingdom. They might not know we’re... off the menu, so to speak.”

That made sense. If the storms winds carried them beyond their borders, across the forest or even over the mountains, chances stood that these Bergen’s were not ones associated with Bergan Town. They may not even be apart of the same subspecies if what she was looking at said anything.

Where the Bergen’s had mostly rough, almost crooked designs for their architecture, this place seemed far more clean cut. Wooden beams fitted snuggly against the drab stone walls and ceiling in both square and triangular shapes, the trim decorated in a colorful, flowery design.

She’d almost call the place cozy if it’d been smaller.

“They might be friendly.”

“Oh right, we must’ve missed the welcome mat underneath the bear trap.”

“Then what do you propose we do, huh? We’re kinda running low on options right now, because Chuckles out there isn’t going to help us repair the balloon.”

“Im telling you they’re not going to be happy to see us so put away the greeting card.”

She removed her hands from her hair, frowning that he already knew her plans well before they even came to fruition. “Okay then Mr. Smartypants, what do you propose we do?”

His scowl grew more pronounced, since it soon became obvious he had no further plans other than escape. Though how still remained a mystery.

“Well, first we...”

A cacophony of voices echoed into the room, distant at first, muffled through wood and stone until a door clearly opened somewhere in the distance, increasing in volume when the owners made their way down an unseen hallway.

“... we hide.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out to be a major pain in the butt to write seeing as how I’m not normally one for writing action scenes. Guess I’ll have to get used to that given how things are panning our so far, so I’ll just chalk this up to practice for now. 
> 
> Coming up next we finally get to meet the rest of this stories cast, which actually has me a bit excited. I can’t wait to get around to writing Hickory for a change, since I’ve got a few ideas on how those interactions between he and the other characters are going to go, and let’s just say... it’s interesting.
> 
> Anywho, thanks to everyone for reading. Hope you liked it and don’t forget to leave comments and kudos if ya want. Til next week...


	4. Here be Giants

In less than a heart beat the trolls dashed behind the bird figurine, pressing their backs so flush against it they might as well have merged with the wood entirely.

Poppy sucked in a deep breath, anticipation on who, or what, approached the room spiking her adrenaline into overdrive yet again.

She’d only just began to settle down when the voices grew in volume, and from what little she could tell, they were both distinctly male. Curiously, the gruffest of the pair held a slight accent whenever he spoke, one she couldn’t all together place no matter how she wracked her brain to do so. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have assumed it was something distinct to this area, but upon listening to the others response, she wasn’t so sure. Their voice, though equally deep in its own right, came out much smoother in contrast and held its own unique manner of speaking.

She strained to focus on the words being said, shifting somewhat to tilt her ears in their direction (not daring enough to poke her head around to see).

The giants emerged from the darkened hallway, the smaller in the bunch leading the charge, hands flourishing in excitement, practically gushing, “At zis rate, ze next batch vill be ready in no time. Another veek, two tops. Makes you vant to sing, ja!”

An affirmative hum answered, despite the lack of singing that followed. “I s’pose so. Would much rather scrounge up some grub first. You did make me skip breakfast this mornin.”

“Zhere you go, blaming me for your own mistakes again.” Snapped the other, much shorter giant.

Poppy squished herself harder into Branch’s side when those monstrous footsteps thumped straight across the room, stopping only a few feet from the side table as the giant spun, bellowing, “It vas your own laziness zat made you miss zat.”

“Really? I could’ve sworn it was _you_ that drug me into the distillery at the crack of dawn.”

“Ve rise before ze sun, not after. If you vant food you eat it at a reasonable time like everyone else.”

A pause lingered between the two, followed by a snort. “Uh huh. Well then I reckon nows that time. Start cookin.”

Curses flew from under the gruffer ones breath, mostly in a language neither Poppy nor Branch understood, until devolving into a long huff that would’ve no doubt knocked them clean over given how drawn out it was.

The remaining giant smirked, thankful their little squabble hadn’t escalated into a full blown argument per usual. It’d become almost a norm to bicker throughout the day, either from differing opinions or divvying up the chores (or the slacking in them) that brought the most friction in the household. Neither enjoyed cleaning any more than they enjoyed cooking, this much made apparent from the growing clutter that’d built up over the week and neither chomping at the bit to change that.

One look around and he knew his vater would’ve killed over in shame seeing the house in such a state. The dispute on who-would-break-down-and-clean-first needed to end, mainly because all the dishes were currently dirty and littered sporadically throughout the living room. And he’d be darned if he used a teapot for a bowl again.

Rubbing the back of his neck, the giant set out for the coffee table to collect what he could, stacking the plates, cups and cutlery neatly into a pile and planning to come back for more once those were deposited into the sink.

Cabinet doors could be heard opening and closing repeatedly, growing more forceful for each that, apparently, came up short in whatever the gruffer giant was looking for.

He finally let out a low growl, followed by another resounding slam that caused his companion to snap, “Will you stop that racket? I ain’t fixing them doors again if you break them.” 

“There’s nothing in here. Go check the traps for fresh meat.”

It took everything within the pop trolls not to gasp, Branch shooting her a look that just screamed‘I told you so.’

The smoother of the voices gave their own grumble, his footfalls rattling past the side table, shaking the onlookers and figurine that shielded them. They scarcely had a chance to collect their thoughts when the dishware came slamming beside them, causing the two to nearly shriek in terror - only to clamp a hand over each other’s mouth to prevent that from happening.

They squatted further into the wooden birds shadow, listening intently on the heated words flung back and forth that soon escalated in volume. Accusations such as, “what do you mean we’re out of food?” to “how could you eat _everything_ this morning?” bounced between them, growing so loud the gruffer voice finally smacked a pot against the stove, bellowing, “Maybe if you restocked yesterday like you said you vould, ve vouldn’t be out!”

”There’s gotta be something in there!”

The smaller giant snorted, throwing the cabinet doors wide open to reveal very little in way to work with.

The other giant scanned the shelves once, twice, before jerking his head to the side, conceding defeat.

He did remember saying that yesterday, yet as the morning had turned to noon, then slowly slipped into evening, that promise rolled further to the back of his mind until it fell off the radar completely. And now, confronted with nothing more than a few jars of preserves and an empty stomach, he felt heat rising to his face, frustration clenching his fists.

Spinning on his heel, he grumbled about taking care of it and marched purposely towards the open window. This spurred the pop trolls into action as well when those heavy stomps approached yet again; scurrying further around the statue and bracing themselves for the moment they’d finally be caught. Why else would he be heading their way if he hadn’t spotted them some how?

Clenching her eyes shut, Poppy locked her arms around Branch in what might very well be their final moments. Surprisingly, though, said moment came and went in a mere blink.

A clank, then a creak lifted into the air, the pop queen glancing under the wooden statues wing to see a heavy looking door shut behind the large figures backside. When it shut, so too did her mouth, Poppy staring at it for a solid minute before her mind caught up with itself.

How on earth had she missed that beside the window? After all, its size alone was pretty impressive, much like everything else in this place, so how her attention had never been drawn to a back door eluded her.

She sat up a little straighter now that the house was down one danger. Perhaps if they were lucky, the giant would stay out there long enough for them to find a new place to hide, or at the very least scare away the lizard skulking on the other side of the window.

She went to stand and see if that were true, hope tickling its way into her chest thinking that perhaps the balloon could be salvaged after all.

They might even make it out of here unscathed.

Branch flung his hand out to yank her back, shaking his head furiously, “Stay down.”

“We cant just sit here.” She argued back, trying to pivot her eyes around the bird.

Again Branch brought her to a heel, worry spreading along his face. “He’ll be back, and the other isn’t far away.”

“And if we stay here, he’ll see us for sure when he walks back in. See?” She pointed out their position, at how either angle they stood at would not shield them entirely were the giant to simply look down.

Branch clenched his jaw mulling it over, having not considered that possibility until now. How they hadn’t been seen sooner eluded them both but neither were willing to seek out an answer. Instead, the blue troll nodded in mute understanding. He spun his eyes around, then down towards the floor, seeming to share her thoughts on dashing down the tables side while the opportunity presented itself. At least then they’d be on the ground, safe and able to find a more suitable hiding spot much easier than constantly twirling around a single statue.

He’d just been about to make for the tables edge when a holler arose from outside. The chip chop sounds in the kitchen abruptly came to a stop, the gruffer giant asking if they’d caught anything in particular.

The heavy thuds came again, two sets now rocking the desk and all the items upon it.

The trolls tried in vain to maneuver around the clutter, keeping low in order to circle the figurine and dishes on hands and knees (since standing upright became impossible).

The one from outside soon reentered, fabric rustling in between his hands.

“Vell? Vere ze traps empty or not? Don’t tell me ve have to go hunting zis late.”

“That ain’t even the half of it.” The softer voice held up the strange cloth contraption, the two tilting their heads, unsure on what exactly they were looking at. “This thing was layin in the crops, mangled to bits.”

“Ze... ze crops?”

He nodded, twisting the balloon around until holding the busted basket aloft. It just barely hung on by a literal thread, the rest torn to bits, being more of a mystery on what it could possibly be than anything else. A kite perhaps? A toy? Up here?

Knitting his brows together, the giant made a thoughtful sound, twisting it around once more for a closer inspection.

“What ever this is, it messed up the garden pretty bad.”

“VHAT!?”

The gruffer of the two pushed past, knocking his companion against the desk to peer outside and gasp even louder than the yell.

Poppy scrambled to find her balance, Branch not fairing any better being one arm down. She just managed to brace herself and avoid a tea cup toppling over when the figurine wobbled to the side, then back, slamming hard atop her fingers and eliciting a soft yelp from her lips. She drew her hand back, nursing it against her chest in a sad attempt to smooth away the pain... only to pause when both she and Branch realized that one, traitorous sound had just given away their position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter turned out to be way shorter than the rest. Time seems to slip away pretty fast due to a busy work schedule and other responsibilities, but next week is sure to be extra long. Pinky promise.
> 
> As for the chapter itself, I’m pretty happy with how this one came out, though reworked a lot of the conversational pieces mostly to better set up the brothers relationship. I’m def taking liberties on Dickory’s personality, since not much was shown in the movie other than his hot-headedness. So yeah, we’ll see how this goes, and if you enjoyed it, don’t forget to leave a kudos or comment.


	5. Caught

All eyes turned towards her, Poppy shivering when two very large hands fell on either side of the desk, bearing all their owners weight down to keep it steady. There didn’t seem to be any reason left to hide, not when they were already looking straight at her.

Swallowingthickly, she stood (since there didn’t seem to be any reason not to), turning her thoughts over to examine theses giants features... and frowning when they didn’t quite add up to what she expected.

For one, they were not dull in color, nor did they have any warts or crooked teeth mangling their mouths like she assumed. If she were to be completely honest, they almost seemed troll-like in every regard except their size.

Their mountainous size... that towered over her... like a mountain...

The puzzle pieces slowly fell into place, memories of stories long past resurfacing to paint images of fearsome monsters rampaging the forest and gobbling up both troll and Bergen alike.

Mountain trolls.

They had landed in the mountains, in their home more or less, presenting themselves as tasty bite sized snacks for their convenience. And now, they were staring at them.

Staring right at them!

The only thing Poppy knew to do was bunch up her shoulders, offering a hesitant, “H-hi there,” in greeting.

“YOU!”

She jumped back, lowering the hand she’d risen mid wave when the smaller giant pointed an accusing finger.

“YOU! VILL! PAY!”

“Nope.” Branch snatched at her elbow, darting for the window only to have it quickly slammed shut by the taller one. Finding that route closed off, they tore across in the opposite direction, dodging the hands that grappled for them in blind panic. Unlike the lizard, these two were not some dumb animals to elude. They were thinking, that much both she and Branch gleaned from their conversations alone; making them all the more dangerous to deal with.

The bushy bearded one leapt around his taller compatriot, sliding over the wood and very nearly making a successful grab for Branch in the process. His attempt proved fruitless when the smaller trolls parted ways, Poppy encasing herself in a hair ball seconds after tumbling off the tables ledge while Branch chose to use what remained of his dexterity to dodge, resulting in the smaller giant to go floundering head over heels to the ground.

The crashTHUNK jolted Poppy back to her feet, unfurling her hair as she darted straight ahead, not really minding what lay in front, just what followed behind.

The taller mountain troll scrambled into action trying to cut her off, bouncing on his much longer legs to help with the reach, yet every attempt he made to snatch brought him no closer to capturing the pink intruder. She always seemed just a skip jump ahead, practically running circles while he did his darndest not to accidentally step on her.

He knew her dodge and weave tactic wouldn’t last much longer, though. She obviously didn’t know where to go other than away, scurrying along a throw rug with intent to get beneath anything big and/or sturdy enough to block his path.

After knocking into furniture, and having just about enough of that, the larger giant balled his fists around the rugs edge, yanking it forcefully enough she, and anything else sitting atop it, went toppling to the floor.

Poppy crashed hard to her knees, scarcely able to gather her wits before he swooped in, plucking up her dresses back strap.

The height kept increasing, her stomach left somewhere on the hardwood floor while her head practically swam in both adrenaline and panic. When at last he held her to eye level, his eyes squinted curiously, trying to discern what in tarnation they were doing this high up in the mountains.

“How did you-?”

The question lodged in his throat when an eruption of glitter pelted him smack dab in the face, Poppy having retrieved and opened the greeting card from her hair (since she had little else to defend herself with at the moment).

It certainly did the trick, though her laughter fell short when his grip slackened trying to clear his vision. He released her entirely to scrub at his mouth and eyes, growling that he could practically taste it and it was AWFUL!

Poppy used the distraction to wrap her hair around his wrist, managing to use the momentum to swing towards a mounted coo-coo clock just a breath away. She spun around once securing herself to the ledge housing the bird, Branch’s laughter bouncing from across the room, a fist held aloft in congrats on her victory. She returned the gesture, breathless but alive, though neither had long to bask in the glory. The desk shook beneath the blue troll, his senses swiftly returning when a green hand slammed along the top, followed by another, helping to hoist the shorter giant back to his feet.

And he did NOT look happy.

“Vhy you scrawny little-!“

Branch went to follow after Poppy, landing a little less gracefully than she but still determined to push his way through.

He slid around the figurines and broken plates lining the floor, twisting back and forth around the taller giants legs as the bearded one shuffled to try and wrap around his accomplice.

“Stop moving you little pest and let me catch you!”

“I don’t think so, buddy.” Branch snipped, bouncing onto the bigger trolls foot only to dash away when a meaty fist slammed into it.

“Beans and biscuits, Dickory!” The struck one yelled, hopping on one leg in order to cradle the other. “Don’t hit ME!”

“Zen move your fat lard out of ze vay!” The smaller charged past, leaving the taller one to lean against a wall, finally able to see past the tears and glitter still caking his face.

His ear twitched towards the clock, catching a glimpse of Poppy who squeaked, then ran behind the coo-coo birds door; the aggravation from before building so rapidly he didn’t know whether he should fight the urge to throw a fist through the antique or not.

Instead he decided to pry the small door open, muttering softly, “where are you?” as he peeked inside. There didn’t seem to be any movement within, at least not until he heard the clattering start.

The weights bounced in rapid succession, the mechanisms ticking unnaturally fast, whirring about while she most likely leapt on every one of them to find another way to escape.

Tilting his head, he watched the clock hands make a full rotation until striking the next hour and, on command, the doors shot open with the coo-coo bird flying out on its extension. Smack smack smack it hit him square between the eyes, leaving behind a sizable goose egg in its wake.

Hickory grit his teeth, rubbing at the spot to lessen the ache. He’d only just managed to chew back the pain when the hands started to turn again, hitting the forth hour and sending the little bird out on another attack.

This time he reared back to avoid it, bracing both hands on the clock when her laughter resonated from within.

“Think that’s funny, do ya? Let’s see how you like it.”

Ripping it clean off the wall, he shook the clock several times for good measure, delighting in the distressed warbles echoing from within. Once she was thoroughly jumbled up, he laughed when she hollered for him to stop least she puke all over he place. The mountain troll spun it around to get at the back, the clasps popping open easily enough, and stood there delighted to find her hopelessly tangled within the inner workings.

Poppy wiggled to break free, her dress snagged between the gears and limbs frantically trying to unravel her hair from the chime bracket. Several strands were broken when she reeled back, gasping as a ginormous hand stretched for her again. Not knowing what else to do, she did the only sensible thing left and withdrew the emergency scrapbook tucked inside her hair

Hickory paused upon seeing this, encouraging her to smirk, holding it out even further like the greeting card.

He pulled back almost instantly, hissing, “don’t you even think about-“

“Glitter bomb!”

He held the clock at arms length, eyes and mouth shut tight for the oncoming waterfall about to burst forth and then...

Nothing.

No sound, no explosion, just silence.

Hesitantly, he squinted to see what’d became of the threat, then nearly did a double take.

What he saw was no sparkly mess, as he’d come to expect. Instead, the clock stood in perfect working order, save for a few dents here and there from her struggles. But what was most troubling to realize was the complete lack of a certain troublesome pink troll.

Tearing his focus all around the living room, he set the clock aside to locate this growing pain in the rear and her equally infuriating companion. They’d regrouped closer near the front door, clinging to one another in an effort to gauge their injuries, only to snap back to themselves when both giants came pounding after them.

Somewhere down the line, Dickory found himself wielding a hammer (most likely left laying about on a bookshelf) while he opted to snatch up something a little more practical.

A jar.

* * *

Branch gasped for air, his second wind come and gone long before this point and still they weren’t any safer than when they first started this crazy cat and mouse chase.

If they survived this, he swore up and down to take a vacation. A long one with beaches galore.

Poppy grabbed his arm, dragging him further down the hall, panting, “Come on, we have to keep moving.”

Several doors lined the walls on either side, all of which were shut tight with no room to crawl under either. The most she could do was hop up and twist the handles, but which one to choose? Either could lead to an even worse situation than what they were currently facing, or at the very least corner them with no hopes to escape.

Branch skidded to a halt when he noticed a small entryway table, and there, resting atop it, sat a pot filled to the brim with plants.

“There!” He called, helping her to shimmy up the wooden leg, racing even faster when the giants clashed against something, most likely each other, yelling to get out of the way.

By the time the mountain trolls managed to round the corner, the friends were already hunkered down in the pot, their hair intermingling to create the perfect camouflage.

Poppy clung fast to Branch, sucking in a breath. The blue troll did his best to calm her, rubbing small circles along her back and praying this plan worked. If not... we’ll, he didn’t want to think about what would happen to them should they be caught.

The smaller mountain troll, Dickory, walked ahead, jiggling the doorknobs to see if any had been opened. He walked along the walls, past the table, then glanced at the stairs leading to the upper levels, narrowing his eyes to decide on whether or not they’d fled there.

Spinning to his brother, he grumbled, “Zey couldn't have gone far. I’ll check up zhere to be sure vhile you stay here. Let me know if you discover anything.”

Hickory nodded, returning to scouring the halls.

So far the smallest trolls disguise held up. Both felt a smidgeon if their tension leech away, grateful for that at least... until the bigger of the giants circled back around, searching yet again through all the nooks and crannies someone their size might squeeze into. Again he opened the doors, glancing inside then back out, rubbing at his stubbled chin in thought.

There weren’t many places to go, nor much in way to hide either. A small table, paintings (which he’d already turned over just in case), the doors that they couldn’t possibly have opened and shut so quickly.

Coming back around, he stopped by the table, glancing at the contents lining the top and finding nothing unusual about it. The same pot, the same books with bookrests on either side.

Bending to a knee, he checked underneath for good measure, curious to know if perhaps they’d been hiding underneath like a bug.

Still nothing.

Lifting back up, Hickory turned the possibilities over in his head, not entirely sure where they could’ve gone. Perhaps they were upstairs like Dickory suggested. It seemed the only logical place they could’ve disappeared to so quickly without detection, unless they somehow spirited themselves elsewhere.

Or maybe...

Tapping a finger against the table top, his ears began to swivel, each one searching for the slightest sound that might give them away. If they were hidden somewhere close, then they wouldn’t be able to hide for long. He just had to be patient.

Poppy’s grip grew firmer, clinging to the survivalists frame tighter than ever before. He didn’t seem to mind the discomfort, being just as focused on the giant in front of him as she, the two stilling their breaths when Hickory grew all to quiet, his expression pensive.

He didn’t move, worrying the two he’d finally spot the mismatched shrub tucked away behind the rest. How he didn’t hear the rapid thunk in their chests Poppy didn’t know, but she did count her lucky stars that nothing short from his steady tap tap tap came of it.

The silence only grew, broken by the noises from above where Dickory tromped about.

For a moment, Poppy wondered if the taller giant would eventually move on. His ears continued to perk here and there, never fully landing on them or anywhere abouts. She half believed that this plan might actually work and they’d be able to escape after all.

Until her bracelet popped open.

Followed by Branch’s.

The bracelets soon made their own distinct tinkling sound, that neither troll could cover up fast enough, forcing them both to gasp then freeze in fear.

The mountain trolls ears snapped directly onto them, followed by his head, and before either knew it, a jar came slamming down.

They were now good and truly caught

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, a tinies worst nightmare. The JAR. 
> 
> As promised, a much longer chapter, though the next one might not be as long. I’m currently in the process of buying a house, which doesn’t leave me with a lot of time to write, I’m afraid. Guess we’ll see what the future holds and like always, don’t forget to drop a kudos or comment if ya want.


	6. The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare yourself for some bad German translations, because I don’t speak a lick of it.

Hickory breathed out a laugh that bordered on hysterical. The tiny intruders were caught. He’d actually caught them and now... well, now he didn’t really know what to do with them.

A call for Dickory seemed like a good start, especially when his brother was making such a ruckus upstairs for nothing. No doubt the furniture would be upended just as thoroughly as it’d been done to the living room were he to let it continue.

Drawing the lot closer, he watched in mild fascination as the once oddly colorful bush untangled itself to reveal two very haggard faces gazing back. Each held the same downward turn to their mouth one might find on a troll walking to meet their death, which by the way they clung so desperately together, they very well may be thinking that to be true.

Hickory gave them another once over before turning towards the staircase, calling for his brother to join him and smiling at the delight the smaller mountain troll unleashed. “You got zem? Vhere vere zey hiding?”

“See for yourself.”

He moved aside when Dickory practically leapt down the stairs, minding to keep at least one hand firmly over the top just to be on the safe side. After all, these troublemakers weren’t the easiest to catch - not by a long shot! - and there was no doubt in his mind that if he slipped up and gave them so much as an inch to work with, they’d end up running off with the entire bloody mile.

Dickory peered through the glass, grinning wolfishly from ear to ear. “Wunderbar! Now ve can get rid of zem proper.” He said, hammer still in hand.

Branch and Poppy paled at those words, separating from each other’s arms to frantically wave and plea, “No no no no no,” in rapid succession. Hickory, too, turned a pensive stare onto his brother, a questioning hum lifting from his throat. This didn’t seem to please the bearded giant any, his expression exacerbate and clicked his heels when he spun, making his displeasure known by raising his voice and practically shouting in that strange mountain language of theirs.

Branch took a step back, then another, carefully pulling away from the noise to hide behind one of the plants. Poppy snapped her head to follow him, watching the survivalist withdraw a shovel from his hair and motion for her to come closer.

Looking between he and the bickering giants, she hesitantly sidled closer, becoming stiff as a board when he turned her back around, planting her directly in front of him and the leaf.

“What are you doing?” She half whispered, trying to keep a straight face and not draw any attention to them.

“Digging us a way out.”

“You do know we’re in a pot, right? We cant dig through that!”

“When we hit the terra-cotta, I’ll cut it open from the back.”

She turned towards the giants, murmuring through the side of her mouth, “I’m pretty sure they’ll hear that.”

“Not if I’m discreet about it. Now keep a look out.”

She again glanced between the three, nervously trying to appear inconspicuous when ever the mountain trolls locked eyes on her (which wasn’t often save for a few times from the taller one).

He didn’t seem to concerned or suspicious on why only she stood out amongst the plants, lazily watching her fidget, smile to the best of her ability, then spin his arguments back onto the shorter of the pair, each kicking up such a fuss she wondered how on earth either of them survived living together.

“Ack! You know vhat vill happen if ve let zem go. Give zem to me.”

Poppy floundered when everything suddenly jerked to the side, Dickory having planted his hand atop his brothers in order to drag them (jar and potted plants included) towards himself.

It wasn’t long before said jar snapped back to its original position beside Hickory, the pop trolls tumbling all over again as the taller one snarled, “And I told you I’ll take care of it myself.”

“Ve need to get rid of zem.” Yank.

“I know what I’m doing.” The larger giant pulled back, his grip pressing down, hard, and shoving the glass rim further into the dirt.

At first neither Poppy or Branch noticed the difference, to busy trying to hoist themselves up by there elbows in hopes to gain some semblance of balance. The ground continued to buck and churn, tossing them about like they were nothing more than hapless snowflakes trapped inside a snowglobe.

Poppy stood for a short while, planting her feet shoulder length apart to steady herself, but she soon found the stance impossible to maintain when the pot and jar threw her hard against the glass, cracking her skull against it and sending her into a daze. A daze that was short lived when her backside slide down with the wall she now sat against.

She barely had time to comprehend what just happened when her world jerked again, though this time she dug her palms deep into the soil, anchoring herself there to witness what just happened.

True to it, she watched in horror as the glass sunk deeper and the plants clustered tighter when the space entrapping them pressed down, bringing the much smaller trolls that much closer to being squished inside if this kept up.

“Stop...” she cried, soft and drowned out by the mountain trolls bellows.

“You’re being childish.” Dickory snapped, flashing his teeth when Hickory made no move to let go. If anything he dug his fingers in tighter, lips lifting to reveal his own canines. “Just hand zem over so ve can be done vith zis!”

The shorter one tried fruitlessly once more to gain the upper hand, but he knew, even when he attempted to yank the jar free, he could never hope to out muscle his brother even on his best days. That was clearly shown when his sibling easily brought the pint sized intruders back towards himself, spitting out, “Ich sagte nein.”

This continued on for several more rounds, the squabbling growing more heated while the disorientated pop trolls squealed each time the ground pushed them higher and higher to the ceiling; the plants curling around themselves until what little room that remained shrank into near nothingness.

Poppy braced her hands firmly on the glass roof while Branch smacked his shovel repeatedly against it. The metal hardly made a dent, either a testament to the glasses strength or his lack there of, leaving only their cries to halt their inevitable crushing.

“Stop, please...” Poppy tried again, her knees buckling under the constant pressure. What remained of her energy reserves was rapidly dwindling into the negatives, her breath puffing out in desperate gasps, unable to catch itself to put any real force into her words. At least not until Branch yelped when he found himself pinned against a toppled over succulent and the roof above.

Sucking in what air she could, Poppy let loose a deafening shriek, “Will you STOP ARGUING ALREADY?!”

The world itself ground to a stand still.

No longer were voices swallowing up her ragged breaths or Branch’s soft whimpers, the room growing deathly quiet.

She sighed in relief, panting an exhausted, “thank you,” before letting her bones turn to jelly, nearly toppling forward had a leafy frond not stood directly between her and the ground.

The giants quickly abandoned their argument to press their faces flush against the jar, Hickory surveying the splayed figure dangling precariously on a leaf, then to her friend that immediately kicked, dug and eventually threw himself beside her, calling gently, “Are you alright? Are you hurt? Talk to me, how many fingers am I holding up?” He held up three, causing her to snort, then laugh as she swatted away his sudden fussing.

“Branch, I’m fine, just really really tired. I promise.”

Dickory reared back, any concern he once held before evaporating on the spot. “Zhere, you see. Nothing to vorry about. Now!” He went to reach for the jar again, ready to resume the argument at hand... and stopped only when Hickory’s brows scrunched together, the older giant mumbling, “Get the cage.”

Dickory’s movements ground to a halt, eyes blown wide open in both shock and indignation. “Vhat? Vhy?!”

“Because I told you to.” he snarled back, watching his brothers spine straighten into a rod.

Dickory considered arguing once he reclaimed his voice, his mustache wiggling in irritation, but one look at the hard edge glare he suddenly found himself pinned under made him rethink that decision. There were some battles not worth fighting when set against his normally laid back sibling and this, he realized when that stare sharpened further, was one of them.

Blowing out his frustrations, he conceded defeat with a single nod and trounced the short distance alone. It took no time at all to throw open a door, duck into the workshop and snatch up a rather decrepit looking bird cage, only to slam it down on the table once he returned. A quick flip of a latch opened the wrought iron door and with a simple heave and toss, the two interlopers found themselves hurled unceremoniously inside, dirt, plants and all.

Branch shot to his feet first, sifting through the rubbish until Poppy sat up not to far beside him, coughing and swatting unsuccessfully at her hair (that tangled about her face in a god awful mess.)

“Poppy! I gotcha, don’t worry.” He helped pull a few leaves from her ponytail, smiling when her fuchsia eyes peeked up at him. Despite the dirt smudging her cheeks and the strap on her dress having come slightly loose, she still beamed at him regardless, exhausted beyond belief but grateful neither sustained any further injury between them.

“I’m alright, just dirty. You?”

His expression softened, sinking to his knees, sighing, “Ive been better.”

The two stared at one another for another beat, maybe two, until sweeping their eyes back towards the giant faces hovering above.

No one spoke.

Then again, no one really knew what to say given the circumstances.

Poppy gnawed on her lower lip feverishly, debating whether or not she should break the silence that hung like a foreboding cloud between the four. Introductions were normally her go-to option, being an all around perfect way to break the ice, but from the escapade they just undertook, and the fact that they’d barely survived it This far, it seemed unnecessary at this point given how neither side looked upon the other fondly. At least not from this angle.

She decided instead to clear her throat, forcing what little remained of her energy to stand amongst the shredded plants and dirt to properly address them.

‘You’re a queen,’ she reminded herself, instilling what calm she could collect to embolden her words and paint a welcoming, if not sheepish smile on her face. “We got off on the wrong foot.”

“Ja, you zink?” If looks could kill, Dickory’s would’ve pierced clean through every vital organ.

’Welp, no point in beating around the bush.’

“Heh, l-let’s start over, shall we. Hi, I’m Poppy, from the pop troll village far far away. And this,” She tugged the survivalist up beside her, “is my trusty, noble and true bestest best friend forever Branch. What’s your names?”

They didn’t answer, still looking down at her dumbfounded. Well, one dumbfounded while the other continued to scowl.

The arms she’d spread in welcome gradually dipped back to her sides, any friendly chit chat dwindling to nothing.

‘Calm, stay calm. Deep breaths.’

She forced another bright smile into place, stepping carefully towards the bars. “I get it, you don’t want to talk to strangers, especially ones that just, you know, made themselves at home without an invitation. Very rude on our part, I'm so sorry about that.”

The mountain trolls simply turned to each other, confusion clearly written on their expressions, prompting her to let loose a shrill series of laughter even she knew sounded false. “So, now that we got all of that out of the way, we can become friends and you can let us out, yeah?”

Marching towards the door, she gave it a solid shake for emphasis, then another, her muscles bunching when neither mountain troll moved so much as an inch to help. Trying once more to push through, another near hysterical giggle erupted, “Oh, uh, look at that, still shut. Could you guys perhaps, maybe... open it for me? If you don’t mind?”

Apparently they did since neither bothered to move.

Poppy tilted her eyes towards them, placing as much emotion into her expression as possible in hopes to beseech them in some way. Perhaps they just needed to understand, to know that all this ruckus had been nothing more than an accident on everyone’s part.

“Oh, uh, you want us to stay, right? Well I’m sorry but we’ll have to decline for now. You see we’re on this big adventure that we _really_ need to get back to, but the storm last night came and the balloon got flung all over the place like crazy wild and we landed here in your-“

“Whoa-ho hold up.” Hickory held up a hand, “That thing was a balloon?”

“Um, yes?”

“A hot air balloon to be precise.” Branch offered, then fell back when the larger trolls each gave a pointed stare.

“And you’re telling me you flew it during a storm.”

Poppy nodded slowly, ducking her head a little in shame.

“Vhat kind of dummkopf does zhat?”

“I... w-well you see...”

“Yeah Poppy, who indeed?” Branch snarked, trying to cross his arms.

She spun a glare onto him, grousing, “You’re not helping.”

He shook his head, hands up to show surrender but she knew that should they survive this he’d never let her live it down.

Smoothing out her irritation, she returned to addressing their larger than life audience, trying, once again, to appeal to their kinder nature, “It wasn’t our intention to mess up your home. Or garden. Or anything really. So sorry for that. Totally my fault. If there’s anything we can do to fix this?”

“That doesn’t involve being eaten?” Branch butted in, shedding a desperate look upwards.

This actually got a pretty curious reaction from the mountain trolls, at least one that didn’t involve heated stares, awkward silence or insults. Their brows practically shot to their hairline, upper bodies drawing back like they were readying themselves for another one of Poppy’s glitter bombs.

The gears were definitely turning as they glanced at one another in silent conversation. Poppy might’ve even found it amusing the way they looked almost appalled, but then their smiles screwed hideously in place, flashing far to sharp teeth for either pop trolls liking.

‘Thanks, Branch, for reminding them how hungry they are!’

Hickory rose up just enough to rub his stubbled chin, side eyeing Dickory - who sported his own devious smirk. “Well now, I don’t know about you, brother, but all that runnin around has certainly built up a mighty fine appetite.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Poppy brought a hand to her throat, alternating between trying to speak and biting her own tongue to stay unnoticed. Now she REALLY wanted to let Branch have it, but he seemed to be even more horrified by his own slip than she; his jaw slack and complexion ashy. 

They were really going to be eaten. After everything they’d been through, the adventures they’d survived, it was finally happening and there would be no heroic rescue from anyone this time around. She doubted the troll tribe even knew where they were if they even bothered to look, and by the time anyone figured it out... well, they’d already be marinating in stomach acid by that point.

The age old fears came rushing back, memories from their original stay in Bergen Town swept through them in the same hopeless manner they’d felt once upon a time. And all because she’d foolishly wanted to fly through a storm and unite the troll tribes without any care to what dangers it may entail.

Unable to cage the sheer panic any longer, Poppy threw herself against the bars, begging pitifully, “please, don’t do that! I’m sure we can work something out. I-I... I know we can if we just talk, please.”

The brothers continued to smile, Hickory bracing his hands on either side of the table, leaning forward enough the wood groaned under his weight. “And why should we. You damaged a lot of our property, lil missy. Those plants out there ain’t easy to grow, ya know.”

Poppy tore her teeth through her lip, furiously blinking away the tears building and nearly spilling the longer she stood there, stock still, almost whispering,“I’m very, very sorry.”

“Oh, you vill be.” Dickory hissed, thumping the hammer repeatedly into his open palm.

A quick glance between the two showed the smaller trolls were certainly petrified, enough so the pink one, Poppy, sniffled furiously to keep herself from out right sobbing. She clung to the bars, peering up at him with those big, wet eyes that continued to pool the longer they remained locked with his own. Eyes, he thought distantly, that looked an awful lot like his once upon a time.

He regarded her a moment longer, feeling a familiar twist in his gut that always came when catching a less than malicious quarry. She’d hardly been a threat - even revealed herself to greet them for crying out loud! - and probably wouldn’t have been an issue at all if Dickory’s anger hadn’t exploded so spectacularly at all the wrong times. Though he supposed he’d not been blameless either in that regard, what with chasing them about and jumbling her up in the clock.

‘No. Not a good start at all.’

Sliding back a step, he let slip the sinister guise he’d cultivated over the years in favor of his usual carefree demeanor. There was no point in frightening them more than necessary, this he decided when her lip began to tremble and a single tear slid down her dirty cheek.

“O’course,” he began, easing his sneer into a more gentle smile, “I’m sure we can come to an agreement of sorts.”

The hope fluttered to life almost instantly in her heart.

Poppy bounced back, practically beaming, “Yes yes, what ever you want. Branch and I will totally make it work, right Branch? Branch?”

The blue troll stood there petrified, near catatonic and blinking only when she snapped her fingers in his face. “W-what?”

“They’re cutting us a deal.”

“Yeah?!” He stepped forward almost giddy, then paused, his mood souring, “What’s the catch?”

That certainly did seem like an appropriate thing to ask. Even Dickory stood taller, whispering to his brother the same question with a far more accusing bite to it.

“It’s simple.” Hickory smirked, hooking his thumbs behind his lederhosen straps, “You pay us for the damages.”

Oh.

The hope that had once burst to life in Poppy’s chest fizzled into embers immediately after. She tugged absent mindedly on her dresses strap, unsure who she should look at when she murmured, “About that. I’m guessing you want money?”

“Who doesn’t round these parts?”

‘Oh shoot. Oh heck.’

“It’s an old yodelin troll tradition for ya to pay us iffn you’re going through our territory.” Hickory elaborated, his brother, though less enthused, nodded in agreement.

“Normally there’s a bridge involved but I think we can make an exception for you two. You pay us for trespassing, destruction of property and such...” he gestured further down the hall, sweeping a hand near the front door that sat oh so temptingly close, “and we’ll let ya go, simple as pie.”

The smaller trolls looked back and forth, Branch frowning, considering this “deal” from every possible angle. He thus deepened said frown, holding up a finger to the giants, then drawing Poppy aside to the cages center to shove a leaf in front of them for privacy's sake. Once they were properly secluded,he inhaled, trying to be the picture of calm. A picture that failed miserably when he quietly screamed, “Tell me you have something shiny hidden in your hair!”

“I was hoping you did!”

Tilting his head back, Branch nearly groaned, “I’ve got nothing but an egg timer and an extra pair of underwear.”

“And I have-” she stopped, shaking her head. “Seriously, that’s all you packed?”

“Well excuse me, everything else was in crates. Had I known we’d be crash landing into a monsters lair I’d have thought to bring more.”

“Still, that’s not what I expected.”

The giants tilted their heads to the side, Hickory corking a brow towards their hushed conversation, his ears picking up only snippets here and there, eventually turning to his brother who appeared equally confused. They honestly didn’t expect it to be much of a choice between paying them or possible death, yet here they stood, the pop trolls discussing it heatedly enough the leaves rustled when ever they flailed their limbs about.

Dickory finally Cleared his throat, the taller of the two tapping his knuckles on the cage top. “This wasn’t supposed to be a difficult decision.”

“Oh, uh, no. It’s not.” Poppy pipped from the foliage, hopping out with her equally fidgety friend. “We were kinda trying to decide how to pay you.”

“Vith gold, naturally.” The bearded one rolled his eyes, spatting that out like it were common knowledge.

“Yeah...” she tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, finding it more and more difficult to look at the giants when speaking, especially when she knew they wouldn’t necessarily like what she said next, “We don’t have any.”

“Come again?”

“Everyone shares with everyone in our village. That’s how it’s always been.”

Dickory scrunched his nose at such a notion, gasping in disgust while his brother found it down right laughable. “Wait. So you’re tellin me you don’t have any money?”

“Nope.”

“At all?”

“We don’t have to. It’s actually very nice, you should try it.”

The mountain trolls stood there beyond dumbfounded.

Hickory eventually blinked himself out of his stupor, sighing, “Sadly, that ain’t how things work outside your hippy village.”

Poppy’s shoulders drooped significantly. Leave it to her rotten luck to sour yet again.

Fiddling with her dress some more, she fingered the frayed hem, wracking her brain for something, anything, that would make for a satisfactory substitute. Troll village didn’t have much in way of riches, at least nothing priceless beyond their extravagant party supplies, and she seriously doubted these two would have any such interest in disco balls or frilly outfits. From looking at their house, everything the pop village had to offer seemed to clash drastically with the rustic decor.

Bunching her shoulders, every nerve practically screamed when when the taller giant reached out to grab the topmost loop on the cage.

“Pity we cant do business, then.”

“Wait!”

Throwing out her arms, she watched him pause for only a moment, sucking in a breath before railing on, “what if we worked it off?”

“Beg pardon?”

At least he hadn’t shot it down, that counted for something, right?

“Branch and I. We could help clean up the mess. F-fix the garden up...”

“Nein!” Dickory howled, trying to shove his brother aside to scream some more, spatting how she’ll never, over his dead body, get anywhere near the flowers again.

His fit did nothing short but jostle Hickory, who hip checked him back a step, softly urging the pink troll to continue, “You were saying.”

“I... well, we can stay for a few days and help clean or... or something to pay you back. I mean, we have to fix the balloon anyway, so we can help with the mess too. It’s better than just outright killing us, don’t you think?”

That did sound reasonable, the taller mountain troll tapping a finger against his chin. “I s’pose you have a point.”

“Are you insane?!” Dickory countered, bristling and nearly on his tippy toes to bellow. His chest thrust out in indignation, trying to look more intimidating than he obviously was when compared to his bigger, sturdier, and less than impressed brother.

“Ve can’t keep zhese gut für nichts eindringlinge here!”

“Ich verstehe nicht warum nicht.”

Dickory slammed a fist onto the table, causing all but his brother to jump. “Du weißt, warum!”

The giants continued to bicker again in their foreign tongue, Dickory making multiple scoffing sounds, jabbing a finger at her, then his brother. Hickory, on the other hand, seemed more or less impassive, throwing skeptical looks every now and then between the three.

What ever it was they were discussing, the odds didn’t look good, especially when the taller giant eventually lost his cool disposition to grow defensive.

Reaching into her hair, Poppy shoved about the familiar objects normally hidden there. Her scrap book supplies most definitely sat nestled in their usual spot, the map not to far from it, an extra dress, hairbrush, cowbell, pausing only when her fingers brushed up against something entirely different. The long strand felt warm against her touch, resonating a gentle hum when ever she thrummed her thumb down it’s length.

She didn’t want to do this, not if she could help it, but given the circumstances, and listening to the argument grow in volume yet again, it became painfully obvious they had no other choice. These monsters weren’t going to just let them go unless they gave them something of value. And the string, though not gold or a precious gem by any means, was priceless all the same.

’You’ll get it back.’ She kept telling herself, enclosing her hand around it with a reassuring sigh. ‘Some how, you’ll find a way to get it back.’

Drawing in what little courage she could muster , Poppy slowly began to pull it out, stopping only when the bearded mountain troll spat, “unmöglich! Du bist unmöglich!” and stomped down the hall without so much as a backwards glance.

His brother smirked almost triumphantly, returning his sights to the two onlookers and shifting his speech back to the familiar language. “Tell ya what, darlin. You work off the debt like ya said, and we’ll consider everything squared away.”

“Yeah?” Both Poppy and Branch asked, the hope from earlier sparking bright in their features. Her fingers immediately abandoned the string where it sat, grasping the bars once again.

Hickory nodded, unhooking the cages latch and reaching in to root out the blue troll easily enough. The sudden intrusion caused both pop trolls to rear back, though neither had many options when it came to avoiding capture given their enclosed space and quickly found Branch trapped within the large green hand.

The fingers closed around him despite his initial protests, gentling somewhat when a grunt of pain spilled from his lips.

Poppy held fast to her friends good arm, her feet dragging along the floor a short ways until both found the cage, and table, far below them; the giant swooping a second hand beneath her, where he thus separated the two.

Each were held aloft several feet apart, and several hundred feet up, squirming uncomfortably only to freeze when Dickory rounded the corner, the hot air balloon dragging along the floor in his fist. He stopped short in front of his brother, extending his other hand outward, a prominent scowl encompassing his features.

Hickory turned Branch over, reminding his brother to mind his strength and pointing out the little guys condition. The last thing they needed was for the tiny spit fire to get even more injured from sheer carelessness, especially since they had an agreement going on he’d rather not go back on.

Dickory only scoffed, his mustache twitching side to side as he grumbled all the while how he wasn’t some irresponsible child.

“Coulda fooled me.” Hickory quipped, turning his sights towards the survivalist when he looked about frantically.

Branch only just held himself together, spotting Poppy sharing in his concern, fidgeting equally as much as he in the monsters clutches. The words came out in a rush, panic lacing them despite how valiantly he tried to smoother it out with false anger. “What are you going to do to us?”

Hickory motioned lazily towards the hot air balloon. “Figured Dickory here could help ya tinker with that thing, seeing as how you look like you rolled off the wrong end of a saddle.”

An argument sat on Branch’s tongue, ready to point out it was actually a lizard and a nasty fall behind his appearance but decided against that when Dickory squeezed, fixing his attention instead back to Poppy.

“I’ll need Poppy to help, too. She... she’s very good at sewing.”

She smiled enthusiastically, nodding in return. “Oh yeah, totally one of my specialties. In fact, I once helped Satin and Chenille make an entire wardrobe for-“

“Fraid I got other plans for you, lil missy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapter ends like right there but this was already becoming a beast by itself and I figured now was as good a time as any to cut it off. After this, the updates might be a bit on the slower side given all that’s going on at the moment, but I’m still hammering away to write when I can and I’m soooo looking forward to getting to the good parts I have planned.
> 
> Also, forgive any typos that pop up. I noticed a major one last week that had me racing to fix because... uh... it autocorrected to something I def didn’t want. I write everything on my phone so some times it loses its marbles and supplements words that it SHOULDN’T! 
> 
> Any who, enough rambling from me, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don’t forget to comment or send kudos.


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